The Raddest Was Yet To Come: Knowing Thy Impact

Know Thy Impact (or you will be reminded)

In June, I ended a tremendously memorable personal and professional growth opportunity as a member of the Trafalgar Middle School staff. Working with tweens and pre-teens is not for the faint of heart. The only other educator that I admire and revere more than middle school educators are my Kindergarten and Grade 1 colleagues. Middler schoolers are often very similar to their younger elementary rookie counterparts: operating in the absence of a fully functioning frontal lobe. And yet, something told me that this was the right thing to do.

Many questioned my decision to join the school (leaving a pretty good gig in the process). “Why middle school?” “Why that school?” Others were prescriptive with their backhanded compliements: “Straigthen things out down there, eh?” Once secondary school colleagues challenged me to “show those teachers [in the middle school] what we need those students to be able to do when they get up  But I never looked back. Never held regrets.

With Gratitude

At the June end of year celebration, each leaving staff member was honoured by fellow staff members with a song. A tribute to be more exact. One never truly knows the impact (positive and/or negative) that they can/do have on others. Whether it be as a parent, educator, colleague, community member, or ‘brother’ (to fellow men’s circle group members), we all have affect on those with which we interact on a regular basis. Sure, on a day to day perspective this doesn’t always seem obvious. It’s hard to see the forest for the trees.

But there it was…

On that late June evening I was tremendously overwhelmed when ten staff members harmonized a well-rehearsed version of Bryan Adams’ The Best Was Yet To Come.

Gotta say, they nailed it!

By the end of the second verse I was already in tears…

Made a Difference Lately?

I mean, who doesn’t want to know that they have made a difference? A rhetorical question, if ever was.

No matter how small. No matter how apparently insignificant, our actions have impact.

Know thy impact.

JY